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Short answer is a) I screwed up when a file corrupted and b) I don't know. \

a). I corrupted the template I use for the post and did not repair it completely. Thanks for pointing that out.
b) My guess is that the 2009 calendar is a system thing related to the change in forum versions.

The change over to the new vBulletin system had people dealing with all sorts of things and I decided not to bug them about this. Put a note in my tickle file but has not come up yet.

There‘«÷s plenty to keep fans of the S 1000 RR interested over in Phillip Island this weekend, with a whole host of riders using BMW machinery ‘«Ű not just in World Superbikes, but also in the Australian Superbike and Prostock Championships. ...More

Checa took the pole. He lost his P1 before the end of the first interval of lap one. At the end of the lap he was in P3 behind Laverty and Sykes and just ahead of Melandri and Haslam. Through the first ten laps of the race Checa and Melandri would engage in a serious duel, along with others, until the duel ended in a draw as both riders crashed.

The crash of Melandri and Checa promoted Davies to P6. Davies was fighting with both Kawasaki drivers for position. Sykes had fallen behind him and Baz was ahead. As the race closed Haslam was passed and he was able to hold off the Kawasakis to take P4 in his BMW debut. More importantly he took P2 in the manufacturer hunt.

Guintoli may be number two on the Factory Aprilia depth chart but he was number one in Race 1. The Aprilias remain fast sweeping the Race 1 podium. Tyre management may have made a difference for Laverty's fall from the lead to P2 at the end.

Davies performance is the first plus in the 'Judgement' column. He put in a solid blue collar effort in. He will have to find less speed to have better lap times. Both Davies and Melandri had some of the top trap speeds but with the v2 that does not always translate into fast lap times on an intermediate track such as Phillip Island.

P5 and 6 for the Kawasaki's of Sykes and Baz. I suspect Sykes rode the tires off his bike during his time in the front. Baz may have done the same with Haslam and Davies. They remain on the edge.

Haslam and Rea were next in the finishing order. Rea was a mid-fielder the entire race. Haslam on the other hand was a frequent visitor to the front of the pack. Often when you loose a duel you loose more than one position. Haslam proved the point and fought back running out of time and distance before he could improve his final standing.

Camier's P9 may have had more to do with dealing with traffic than problems with the bikes performance. Phillip Island will not be the true gague of what the team is able of.

Checa's crash was not his first the weekend. How it happened will be an interesting story. Rrible start for Ducati in 2013.

visordown.com: Slice of Life
FWIW: Forget all the big buck race drivers, the Iron Butt, Dakar and all that. The toughest hard corest (if there is such a word) are London's PTW delivery riders. Those guys and gals are incredible.

The passion for extreme driving fun, a richly varied model range and the wide selection of personalisation options for which MINI is renowned form the centerpiece of the British premium brand‘«÷s stand at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show. As part of its ongoing model push, MINI is introducing further additions to its portfolio of attractive design models. Indeed, this year‘«÷s Geneva Show will host the world premiere of the MINI Clubman Bond Street. Generously equipped and with a searching eye for detail, this is a MINI tailor-made for style-conscious customers of the particularly discerning variety. ....More

The One World. One R 1200 GS Tour continues apace with the South African stage of this incredible journey about to start for Spanish rider Salvador Echevarria, who has arrived in Cape Town. Ahead of him is eight days of the kind of riding that most GS enthusiasts can only dream about. ... ....More

By the mid-1920s, BMW had established itself as a manufacturer of quality motorcycles. The R 32 was the touring motorcyclists' choice, while the sporting R 37 was the machine for the discerning and well-healed riders looking for power and performance. The world was moving fast and technology was progressing at speed. BMW had to keep pace and develop its motorcycles further ...More

Aprilia gets 1-2-3 at Phillip Island World Superbike Race 1. It's the second time that the manufacturer from Noale monopolise the podium (first one was at Nurburgring last year) with works rider Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) taking his 4th win of the career in his first race onboard the RSV4, ahead of team mate Eugene Laverty.

The race started with Eugene Laverty moving off well from second position, trying to run away from his opponents. The Irishman was able to keep the gap between himself and the rest of the field until he was caught up by Guintoli, who overtook Laverty on lap 15 and led the race until the chequered flag.

Later in the race Laverty had to deal with a confident Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma Aprilia), who closed the gap and had a shot at 2nd place. Laverty waited until the last lap to make the perfect move on the Italian at 'Lukey Heights'. Right outside of top-3 is Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team) who battled hard with fellow Englishman Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) up to the finish line, to end up ahead of his rival for just 0.016 seconds, with team mate Loris Baz to follow.

After a competitive first part of the race, Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) struggled a bit to keep the pace and eventually finished 7th ahead of team mate Jonathan Rea. Two potential contenders for the podium positions got out of the race during lap 13, as Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare), accidentally hit Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team) from behind after outbraking himself, while entering Turn 4.

Checa did not return to compete in Race 2 promoting Sykes to the top of the grid chart for the start of the race. He was able to hold P1 for two laps until Laverty and Guintoli were shown ahead of him as Lap 2 was done.

Farther in the back Baz then Davies went down. Baz was not able to return but Davies did complete the race but way off anyones pace.

Melandri made a late push after pressing the Aprilia pair for most of the race. He moved past laverty with six laps remaining. And began to open a gap on Laverty behind him but was not able to reel in Guintoli ahead.

With two laps remaing Laverty turned in a new fast lap. In short order he made his way past Melandri then Guintoli to take the flag.

fim-live.com: Laverty the first leader
FWIW: Guintoli won the first race so he would technically be the first leader but Laverty won the second race and thus is the leader after the Phillip Island Round so the FIM is right in their world and when you are rule maker you win but that was Laverty and Guintoli but the FIM gets the final word and as the last winner they make Laverty the first leader. I am so confused.

The Game is Afoot | Solving the 2013 WSBK Manufacturer Championship Mystery

For fans of Sherlock Holmes the phase ‘«£The game is afoot‘«ō instantly conjures up vivid images. In my mind‘«÷s eye I see Holmes transforming from a sullen man sitting in his lodgings at 221B Baker Street discussing crime, or the lack of it, into one vibrant with the sense of purpose. In a flurry he recounts his initial outline of the crime as Watson and I, the reader, try to catch up with Holmes on the way to the scene of the crime and then the uncovering of the crimes solution for the rest of the book.

In most mysteries we are taken to the scene of the crime after it has happened. There the detectives try to discern what their initial view of the scene and subsequent investigation tells them as they attempt to solve the mystery. Who will win the 2013 WSBK Manufacturer Championship is a multi chapter mystery. In the first chapter we are taken to Phillip Island Australia where we are confronted with the standings after Race 1 and 2 of the first round of the 2013 season.

This is the Manufacturer table after the end of the round in rank order, showing points won in the round and the +/- compared to last year after Round 1. I plan on presenting the standings in this manner through the season.

The idea of rank ordering is fairly intuitive particularly when the points used to determine the ranking are included. In this case, unlike golf where the player with the fewest strokes wins, here the more points the higher your ranking. How each team scored the points is not as intuitive and adds more layers to our mystery as a result. Lets look at the three main headings in the 2013 FIM Codes and Regulations for World Superbike rule: 1.30 Championship Points and Classifications.

1.30.1
Riders and Constructors will compete for the FIM Road Racing World *World Championship Superbike or Supersport or the FIM Superstock Cup.
1.30.2
For riders, the points will be those gained in each race.
1.30.3
For constructors, only the highest placed rider of a Constructor will gain points, according to the position in the race.

The next section outlines the positions receiving points and the points allocated for them. For example P1=25pts, P2=20pts, P3=16pts and P4=13pts. Points are awarded in ever diminishing amounts to P15=1. The rules go on dealing with a variety of possible outcomes and issues. For now we can apply this paragraph‘«÷s opening sentence to understanding our mystery‘«÷s opening scene.

Aprilia scored fifty points using the points for different riders in each race. Guintoli won Race 1 and 25 pts for P1, Laverty won Race 2 and 25 pts for P1 in that race and together gave Aprilia 50 pts for the round.

BMW riders were the second manufacturer across the finish line in both races. They did not score 40 points for P2 but the points for where the riders were in the standings when they did. Davies finished Race 1 second in the manufacture race but P4 in the rider standings thus scoring 13 pts for BMW. Melandri came across second in the Race 2 manufacture race but in P3 in the rider standings and scored 16 pts for the team. *

I have included the plus or minus as one way of measuring progress compared to last year. Ducati is the biggest loser this round using that measure. The other Ducati riders on the grid were not able to make up for his loss. That takes us to a discussion of the concept of scoring points and denying points to your opponents. Let‘«÷s save that for another time and end here.

I want to dig further into the clues the Round 1 results give us to our mystery of who will win the WSBK Manufacturer Championship. Before we tackle scoring and denying points lets compare some numbers from Checa‘«÷s incredible 2011 season with and 2013 at Phillip Island. This will expand in the real world some of the themes to watch in 2013 I mentioned before. Next time: BMW Goldbet and the Goldilocks Solution.

pirelli.com: The new 17 inch Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres did not disappoint expectations in the first round of the season allowing the riders to significantly increase their lap times compared to 2012

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today confirms that its new model Wraith will be a fastback, and has issued the final image, in the series of teaser images, before Wraith‘«÷s launch in Geneva. This illustrates the three lines that underscore the car‘«÷s striking profile. ....More

Munich/Hanover.*The BMW Group and the international automotive supplier Continental are stepping up their collaboration in the field of driver assistance systems. ...More

Lets continue our detective work into Solving the 2013 WSBK Manufacturer Championship Mystery by digging a bit deeper into the numbers from both the 2011 and 2013 Phillip Island Rounds. The goal here is, not so much to solve the mystery, but *to understand [i]racing pace[i] a bit better. Hopefully In the process we will better understand how the 2013 usual suspects perform and score a bit better. To do this I want you to look at best laps, maximum speeds and gap to leader at the end of the race for three riders in two seasons.

Street sport riders are fond of talking about ‘«ˇThe Pace‘«÷. This was an idea put forward some years ago in Sport Rider Magazine. In simple terms it is heading out to your favorite twisties, staying in your lane, staying within the speed limit while working on carving the perfect line. The goal is alacrity not raw speed as you ride the straights and through the turns.

In road racing Racing Pace is balancing the racing demand for speed with this idea of carrying speed through the twisties to make you faster overall. In 2011 at Phillip Island Checa began a spectacular championship season that confounded writers that did not understand this idea of racing pace. Checa consistently turned lower top speeds and often slower lap times than the competition but the level consistency of his racing pace confounded the competition. They were faster at times but it was when they were done fighting among each other behind Checa as he motored away.

With the 2012 version of the same package Checa had very different results. I believe if you look at his numbers alone you can argue his ‘«ˇPace‘«÷ may have been the same; however, he had lost relative speed to the competition and his ‘«ˇRacing Pace‘«÷ could not offset their improvements in combining speed and handling.

Now look at some of the evidence numbers three of our suspects left behind at the 2013 Phillip Island Round

If you are scratching your head after looking at the 2013 numbers it is because you have dandruff and not because they tell some unexpected story. The lap times fall in the way one would expect given the positions of the riders. Top speeds are not all that different and offer no real indicator of position. The gap to leader is not out of the range of what you would expect. In the case of Davies you might be impressed given his drive to within six seconds of the leader at the end of the race began from a distant P9 at the end of lap one with many very good riders to pass. What makes these numbers interesting is how they were put together. To understand that you will have to accept information from my race notes and the observations from them.

In 2012 I would watch Melandri on live timing tracking the gap between the rider in front and the rider behind. Watching these numbers I could see him set up Biaggi, Sykes and others and then predict with some accuracy where and when he would pass.

Like the riders, by race two I had overcome my frenetic feeling of Race 1 and settled in to a more comfortable Race 2 form. I began watching Melandri‘«÷s gap times to see if and when he might make a move. At the start finish line on one lap he had narrowed the gap to the leader to 0.2887 seconds. Certainly he would reel in the competition on that lap or the next. To my surprise they had opened the lead to perhaps 0.488 seconds by the third interval only to have Melandri narrow the gap in that bit of straight stuff before the start finish line once again.

If you remember my World Superbike theme thread the potential of the new crop of Aprilia riders to harness the speed and with their handling skills combine the two and secure another championship in the process. This is only the first round yet the Aprilia riders seem to be the early leaders in defining Racing Pace using this limited set of data.

BMW Goldbet is not far off when you think of in Goldilocks terms. Aprilia found a solution that was just right for both races and scored maximum points in the process. BMW found a solution that I suggest was just too fast. They found the speed but not the pace; therefore, came in behind Aprilia because they were too fast. The rest of the field had a combined racing pace that was just too slow no matter how the two elements were balanced to deal with Aprilia or BMW.

This is a serial mystery and we only have results from the first round. Teams are on their way home to prepare for the next round. They will tweak and work on many things. Next time we will look at The Ideal Lap as one way to predict how these suspects will do in the next race.

ROLLS-ROYCE SUPPORTS FUTURE MANUFACTURING TALENT
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recently visited East Preston Infant School as part of the Company‘«÷s commitment to the Government-led ‘«ˇSee Inside Manufacturing‘«÷ initiative. The programme encourages manufacturers to engage with children and young people and inspire future British manufacturing talent. ....More

Alphabet remains on track for further growth
Leading Business Mobility provider has half a million company cars under management ...More

BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team factory rider Marco Melandri is confident that his right shoulder will not cause him any more problems. Over recent months, the Italian has been struggling with a lot of pain in his shoulder which particularly affected him when riding. After returning home from Australia, Marco underwent a small operation on Wednesday 27 February. The operation went well, without any major problems....More

Woodcliff Lake, NJ ‘«Ű February 28, 2013‘«™Fueling the desire of motorcyclists who are restless to ride, BMW Motorrad USA is rolling out a national television advertising campaign ‘«Ű ‘«£Feed Your Restless‘«ō -- beginning March 1 ....More

From now on time will play an even more important role for BMW Motorsport in the DTM: The Belgian watch brand Ice-Watch will make its debut in the popular touring car series as Premium Partner of BMW Motorsport. For the 2013 season, Marco Wittmann (DE) of BMW Team MTEK will take to the track at the wheel of the Ice-Watch BMW M3 DTM, which bears the start number 21 and features a striking Ice-Watch design on the front, roof and rear of the car. ...More

This week, a major new television advertising campaign has been launched in the USA, with a variety of BMW motorcycles starring in the action. Filmed to express the thrill and camaraderie that comes from riding, the national TV ads will premier on 1 March and air nationally until early June ....More

The launch of the new R 1200 GS has whetted the appetite of many adventure travel enthusiasts, who will be eagerly awaiting the latest version of this iconic model line to arrive in their local BMW Motorrad dealer in time for the New Season Start. By this time though, adventurer Miquel Silvestre will already be en route to Samarkland, in the heart of central Asia, on the new boxer. ...More

As the One World. One R 1200 GS series of once-in-a-lifetime motorcycle tours continues to entertain and inspire us, BMW Motorrad has an exclusive interview with Eric Massiet du Biest, the French adventure traveller responsible for helping the five lucky Ride of your Life winners live their motorcycling dreams from the saddle of the all-new travel enduro ....More

In the five years since the launch of the R 32, BMW had established itself as a manufacturer of quality touring motorcycles. They were well engineered, reliable and, on the racetrack, they were more than capable of finishing in the winner‘«÷s circle. It was now time to consolidate this success with a more diverse model line-up. ...More

Woodcliff Lake, NJ ‘«Ű March 1, 2013‘«™ The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported February sales of 25,613 vehicles, a decrease of 2.2 percent from the 26,184 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. ....More

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars proudly presents the world debut of Wraith, the most powerful and dynamic Rolls-Royce in history. At its heart lie hallmark Rolls-Royce attributes of luxury, refinement and hand-craftsmanship, but the new model from the world‘«÷s pinnacle super-luxury marque also presents a unique character defined by power, style and drama. With just a hint of the noir. ...More
FWIW ‘«Ű Maybe, but I am thinking I might look for at a drop top RR.

A good month and a half after winning the Rally Dakar, MINI is launching the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Racing Dakar Winner 2013 ‘«Ű in a seriously limited edition. ....More

BMW Group Canada (BMW and MINI brands combined) reported monthly sales of 2,293 units in February 2013, up 5.1 per cent compared to February 2012. ...More

Munich. Ulrich Knieps has assumed an additional role as head of BMW Group Classic, effective 1 March 2013. Knieps now heads the company‘«÷s competence centre for BMW Group and brand history in addition to the central department for Product, Technology and Sports Communications. BMW Group Classic had been managed since 2007 by Karl Baumer, who retired at the end of January 2013. ....More

The BMW i3 Concept Coupe celebrates its European premiere in Geneva, while the BMW i8 Concept Spyder also makes an appearance. These two concept models reflect the current status of the ongoing development process and illustrate the potential breadth of an extended BMW i portfolio. At the same time they show how high-performance, zero-emission mobility is also able to deliver when it comes to emotional excitement and sheer appeal. Both models are built around BMW eDrive technology, which will provide a unique driving experience in all future BMW electric and plug-in hybrid models. These BMW eDrive powertrains, comprising the electric motor, lithium-ion battery and intelligent powertrain management, form the core of all BMW i models. ...More

The BMW M3 DTM that won the 1987 German Touring Car Championship and the BMW M1 Procar racer from 1980 are back in action on the track ‘«Ű Historic racing cars will be entered as ‘«£race taxis‘«ō ‘«Ű Debut scheduled for the curtain-raiser to the new season at the Hockenheimring on 4/5 May 2013.Hockenheimring. ....More

Extensive programme at the Villa d‘«÷Este and Villa Erba +++ Third motorcycle Concorso +++ Special ‘«£90 years of BMW Motorrad‘«ō and ‘«£60 years of Corvette‘«ō exhibitions +++ Auction held by RM Auctions. ...More

Cage World

mclaren.com: The McLaren P1 borne out of 50 years of racing experience

RECALL : Transport Canada Recall # 2013073 BMW R1200GS 2013
On certain motorcycles, the threaded plugs which secures the front fork tubes to the upper triple clamp may loosen over time. This could allow a fork tube to detach, which could result in a sudden loss of steering...

Cage World

autoblog.com: Watch the jaws of life tear apart a Tesla Model S
e cars present new issues for fire fighters

The engine of this extraordinary motorcycle is the work of independent engineer H L 'Bert' Fruin of Hillingdon, Middlesex, who constructed a series of technically interesting 'specials' in the 1950s and 1960s, including a DOHC 125cc twin-cylinder racer and a modular V4/V8 engine. Proprietor of H L Fruin Motorcycles in Hillingdon, Bert began competing on his Italian Demm-based 50cc two-stroke Dartela racers in the late 1950s and rode them at the Isle of Man TT in 1962 and 1963, retiring on both occasions. The first Fruin-built 200cc Four was featured in The Motor Cycle magazine (3rd May 1962 edition, copy on file), which also revealed his plans for future multi-cylinder 'strokers'.

Designed to accommodate Demm top-ends and later NSU Quickly components, Bert's four-cylinder engine was sold in kit form as a crankcase and set of crankshaft blueprints at a cost in 1961 of ?ķ16. The engine of the machine offered here was built by engineer Mike Smith of Waltham Abbey, Essex around 1965 and uses NSU cylinders and heads. It was fitted with Wal Philips fuel injectors initially and then Dell'Orto carburettors. Smith housed the Fruin engine in an MV Agusta rolling chassis fitted with Royal Enfield forks and Gilera hubs. Power reached the ground via a Villiers four-speed close-ratio gearbox. Motor Cycling magazine featured Smith's Fruin Four in its 24th July 1965 edition (copy available). The Fruin proved un-competitive in 250 class so Smith used it mainly for sprinting.

At some time in the 1980s Mike Smith sold the Fruin to Kevin Burton, who in turn passed it on to Tony Milk of New Costessey, Norfolk. In 1999 Mark Turner of Track & Classics, Stockport bought the bike from Tony Milk who had advertised it for sale in Old Bike Mart (copy on file). It is understood that the Fruin was run but never raced by Milk. Mark Turner made a new fuel tank and re-commissioned the Fruin, which was run at his shop in Stockport and again at a classic motorcycle event at Elvington Air Museum (see correspondence on file). While in Mark Turner's ownership the Fruin was the subject of an article in Classic Bike Guide (March 2000 edition, copy available).

Turner then sold the Fruin to a collector, from whom it was purchased by the current vendor and restored in 2009. Refurbishment included rebuilding the engine and gearbox, repainting the frame and fuel tank, re-plating the brightwork, overhauling the carburettors and float bowls, and rebuilding the wheels. The electrics remain original and un-restored. Following its restoration the Fruin was displayed on the Carole Nash stand at the NEC, Birmingham and also at the Stafford Show.
Estimate:
?ķ8,000 - 10,000
‘ťľ9,600 - 12,000
US$ 12,000 - 16,000

Some people enjoy riding their bikes to work, others save them for weekend leisure activites, but one BMW owner can‘«÷t bear to be parted with his new HP4 for a single day, so he keeps it in his work office, close to his desk and close to his heart ....More

Every year, motoring enthusiasts flock to Italy for the Concorso d‘«÷Eleganza Villa d‘«÷Este in Cernobbio. Held near the shores of Lake Como and considered to be Europe‘«÷s most prestigious classic automotive event, the finest vehicles from around the world are proudly displayed and admired by an international panel of judges. For the third year in succession, motorcycles will play an important part in* ...More

s one of the early founders of motorcycling, BMW has experienced much success during its 90 years of motorcycle production. Much of it has come with incredible motorcycle designs that paved the way for the German brand‘«÷s future. BMW has also become a byword for leading technological design that has set standards for others to follow. But at the same time, 90 years of activity has seen BMW deal ... ....More

From the moment BMW unveiled the 1923 R 32 ‘«Ű the first official BMW-branded motorcycle ‘«Ű BMW engineers and designers were committed to improving the motorcycle breed. Not just to keep pace with increasing competition, but in order to deliver the perfect motorcycle ‘«Ű a working culture still employed by BMW Motorrad today. So when problems did surface, BMW was quick to apply technical thought and . ...More

ust as they did prior to the successful 2012 season, the BMW drivers have launched the final phase of preparations ahead of this year‘«÷s season-opener in Hockenheim (DE) with a fitness week in Viareggio (IT). Under the guidance of Riccardo Ceccarelli (IT) and his Formula Medicine team, Augusto Farfus (BR), Timo Glock (DE), Joey Hand (US), Andy Priaulx (GB), DTM champion Bruno Spengler (CA), Martin Tomczyk (DE), Dirk Werner (DE), Marco Wittmann (DE), and test and development driver Maxime Martin (BE) all underwent an extensive programme, during which they worked on their mental strength and received valuable nutritional advice. BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt also visited the fitness camp for two days and took part in some of the training activities. ....More

MINI Plant Oxford celebrates 100 years of production ‘«Ű Its first car, a Bullnose Morris Oxford, was produced on 28 March 1913 just metres from today‘«÷s facility ‘«Ű Total car production to date stands at 11,655,000 and counting ‘«Ű Over 2,250,000 MINIs built so far, plus 602,187 classic Minis manufactured at Plant Oxford ‘«Ű Plant Oxford is the oldest mass-production car plant in the UK and the third oldest in the world, seeing continuous production since 1913 ‘«Ű 13 car brands have been produced at Plant Oxford in 100 years. ....More

The bicycle is no longer merely a means of transportation, it is also a lifestyle and fashion accessory. With its newest folding bike, MINI is bringing a splash of colour to the streets and showcasing a fascinating and versatile new way to get around. The eye-catching lime punch-coloured folding bike guarantees confidently stylish visibility on the roads. ...More

BMW History and Heritage on four wheels and two on display from May ‘«Ű November, 2013 ....More

New York. The BMW Group continues diversifying its portfolio of innovative mobility services under the brand BMW i. The company‘«÷s venture capital entity, BMW i Ventures, is announcing a new investment in the mobile technology company Life360. This will increase the number of mobility services providers which already includes MyCityWay, Park@MyHouse, Chargepoint and Embark. The BMW i Ventures investment in Life360 will expand the company‘«÷s efforts to increase freedom and safety of mobility for individuals and families. ...More

DOWNLOAD: The March issue of Dunlop Download magazine is here and this special issue is about the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season. You'll find information about the upcoming season, including close-up looks at the fastest riders and machines for 2013 and the efforts they are putting forth to claim a championship.

FWIW: A quick scan of these will refresh the F1 fan's memory but that is about it. The new TV provider appears to be targeting a rookie viewer rather than long term F1 fans. One hopes that the practice and race coverage commentary does not stay dumb down too.

FWIW: Untangling BMW, Husqvarna and others continues:
The BMW Group is realigning its motorcycle business area and will, in the future, concentrate on expanding the BMW Motorrad brand. For this reason, Husqvarna Motorcycles has been sold to Pierer Industrie AG. This restructuring also has a knock-on effect on partner Speedbrain, with whom the BMW Group has cooperated very successfully in the field of motorcycle racing since 2006. BMW Motorrad and Speedbrain have, by mutual consent, terminated the existing contract with immediate effect. ....More

Successful venture into a new market segment ‘«Ű First MINI with four doors, a large tailgate, up to five seats and optional all-wheel drive wins over additional target groups around the world. ...More

The 2013 season of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is not the only thing kicking off at the 12 Hours of Sebring (US) this weekend. The race also marks the start of a new era in BMW Motorsport‘«÷s programme in North America: This is the first time BMW Team RLL will line up against opposition in the GT class with the newly developed BMW Z4 GTE. ....More

New version of MINI Product Communications online media service now available ‘«Ű Multimedia application for PC and tablet users updated to include all the facts on the MINI John Cooper Works Paceman. ...More